A lifetime in the world of gastronomy, that of the Stano family.
A large family that fully experienced the transformations of a city: from the Sassi as a national shame to the city that, first a UNESCO heritage site and then the European Capital of Culture in 2019, became a protagonist of notoriety that brought it to the eyes and hearts of the many visitors who are enchanted by it every year. Also for the taste of its traditional cuisine.
From the age of 11, little Franco began working first as an errand boy in a bar and then in a pastry shop. Between serving, pouring, mixing, measuring ingredients, and helping his colleagues, Franco, alert, attentive, and full of good will, began to learn the tricks and secrets to create delicious wonders and relationships with customers.
He spent his entire adolescence in Matera, perfecting his skills in the tasks gradually assigned to him, alternating between the position of counterman and that of waiter in many historic local establishments, some still active and others that have seen the end of their era.
And Franco always stayed here, in his Basilicata, even when he decided to undertake his first seasonal work experience far from home, in Metaponto, on the Ionian coast, where he continued to learn tricks and secrets of a profession, that of gastronomy, in which it is necessary to know how to measure the ingredients, but also one’s personality.
In his youth, besides hard work and sacrifices, Franco’s life was illuminated by his meeting with Maria, the young woman he fell in love with and quickly married. It was love at first sight that lit up the sky of that challenging and constantly changing Matera, but that forever bound two souls destined to do great things together.
At the age of 23, Franco decided to leave the world of bars and dining rooms and began working in the then-flourishing mills and pasta factories of Matera. For 20 years, navigating through crises and sector reconversions, he continued to learn all the secrets about the best wheat, flour milling, the qualities of pasta produced, and how to make them appetizing once served at the table.
But there was something that pushed Franco towards independence.
With his own family now on his shoulders, Franco decided to take a risk.
He took over the deli initially started by his sister and brother-in-law, where ready-made dishes and rotisserie were prepared. He was one of the first to manage this type of business, whose success, dictated by a farsighted perspective, was extraordinary.
It was the early ’90s. It was the summer of the World Cup.
Franco and Maria, with their young children, found themselves on the first day of management with so many takeaway orders that they could hardly believe it themselves.
They rolled up their sleeves, started kneading and preparing to not disappoint even one of the palates that would taste their delicacies during the 90 minutes of Italy’s match that evening. A calm and serene evening for the fans, but frantic for this new business couple.
The sacrifices, sleepless nights, half-enjoyed holidays, satisfactions, and kitchen experiments to revive the flavor of traditional dishes: life in the deli flowed as the children grew and the experience increased.
And it was watching their children grow that inspired Franco and Maria to build something for their future. It was 2000 when they inaugurated the Ristorante Da Stano. And it was in 2010 that Franco and Maria decided to dedicate themselves, with their sons Leo and Valerio, to this activity, leaving the deli to their son Gianfranco.
At the entrance of Sasso Barisano, near the complex of Sant’Agostino, today the Ristorante Da Stano is one of the most renowned restaurants in the city. A place where you don’t just eat, but savor tradition. A tradition reflected in the cuisine, in the quality of carefully selected local products. A tradition where the stories of the city, the family, and life experience are the ingredients of a unique recipe. All to be tasted.
